Braised Pork Ragù over Pasta + Bruna Grimaldi Nebbiolo d'Alba 2017 #ItalianFWT

 

This month, I am hosting the Italian Food Wine Travel blogging group. I asked the #ItalianFWT  bloggers to share Italian wines with braised meats or stews. Perfect for these chilly winter months, right? You can read my invitation: here.

And if you are reading this early enough, feel free to join the group in a live Twitter chat on Saturday, February 6th at 8am Pacific time. Just follow the hashtag #ItalianFWT and be sure to add that to any tweets you post so we can see them. 

Here's what the bloggers are sharing for the theme...

• An Afternoon at Castelgiocondo by Somm's Table
• Braised Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine Sauce +2012 Produttori del Barbaresco by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• Braised Brisket with Donnachiara’s Kapemort Aglianico by Vino Travels
• Braised Pork Ragù over Pasta + Bruna Grimaldi Nebbiolo d'Alba 2017 by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chianti Beef Stew by Our Good Life
• Dolcettto d'Alba: A Food-Friendly Bet for Braised Chicken by My Full Wine Glass
• Farina Amarone della Valpolicella with Ground Pork in Karela Rings by Chinese Food & Wine Pairings
• Home Cooking with Sabrina Tedeschi and the Wines of Agricola Tedeschi by Grape Experiences
• Hunter's Style Chicken and Cantina di Filippo by FoodWineClick!
• Pasta e Ceci with Chianti Classico from astellina by The Swirling Dervish
• Pasta with Pork Braised in Red Wine with Tasca d'Almerita Lamuri Nero d'Avola 2018 by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• The Most Tender Short Ribs You'll Ever Have, Perfectly Paired With Red Wines From Abruzzo by The Wine Chef
• Warming Up Winter with Braised Oxtail and Casa Bottega Ripasso Superiore by The Quirky Cork
• What’s the Difference? 3 Organic Montepulciano: Vino Nobile,d’Abruzzo, and Molise Paired with Ragu by Wine Predator

In My Glass

Nebbiolo is one of my favorites grape varieties anyway, but it is on my table more often during the winter because it's usually rich, full-bodied, and has all of those food-friendly acids and tannins. This Bruna Grimaldi Nebbiolo d'Alba 2017 is a single-varietal produced from grapes located on the border of the Barolo region.

Since the early 1960s, Bruna Grimaldi, a small family-owned winery, has focused on producing terroir-driven wines with dedication to careful work in the vineyards and the winery and a fierce commitment to the environment. Bruna and her husband, Franco, have recently been joined by their children to represent the fourth generation of winemakers.

In the glass, this pours a pale garnet color with flecks of purple on the rim. On the nose it's intensely aromatic with notes of red fruits, violets, and spices. On the palate, the wine is silky and smooth with persistent yet subtle tannins. 

In My Bowl

Bruna Grimaldi Nebbiolo d'Alba 2017 is a savory wine that had me thinking of a pasta with a rich sauce. So, I landed on a long-braised Pork Ragù over pasta. It was perfect for a chilly January evening.

Ingredients 

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 to 2-1/2 pounds pork (I used boneless rib meat), cut into large chunks
• 1 cup onion, peeled and diced
• 6-8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-1/2 cup broth (I used beef broth)
• 1-1/2 cup red wine
• bay leaves
• 1 can (28-ounce) diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
• freshly ground salt, as needed
• freshly ground pepper, as needed
• cooked pasta for serving (I used spaghetti)

Procedure 

Heat the oil in a large, Dutch oven. Stir in the garlic, then add the pork meat into the pot. Sear on each side for  3 to 5 minutes - until a nice brown begins to appear.

Add the onions and bay leaves to the pot. 

Pour in the broth and red wine. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. 

After an hour, stir in the canned tomatoes or tomato sauce. Bring the liquid to a boil again, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover, again. Let the meat braise for another two to three hours - longer is fine, if you need to. Once the pork is tender. Use a fork to shred the meat slightly. Raise the heat to reduce the sauce to your desired thickness. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve over pasta.

That's a wrap for our #ItalianFWT February event. We'll be back next month as Linda of My Full Wine Glass leads the discussion of Italian grapes grown outside of Italy. Stay tuned...